AC160 New to HD

J

jschill

Member
Well I finally took the plunge and purchased the 160, I'm coming from using the Canon XL2 for mostly amateur run and gun (airshow stuff) and I’ll need a shoulder mount for sure. I was looking at the Opteka http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/752663-REG/Opteka_OPTCSX1_Video_Shoulder_Support_System.html for the cheaper route, plus it’s not too big and cumbersome, the next one is the CameraRibbon http://www.cameraribbon.com/CameraRibbon.com.html this one cost much more but looks like it may fit this camera better and be more comfortable for all day video sessions.
Jason
 
Hey Jason

Walter here has ordered a Gliders rig from India for his 160...I would expect him to do a comprehensive report on it once it arrives...the Varizoom Multirig is awesome but pretty costly so maybe see what Walter has to say about the $200 one???

Chris
 
Thank for the reply guys, the camera actually just arrived today so I'm pretty exited!! Steve, I have one of the VZ1's and used years ago with my Digital8 camera, I didn't really like it too much so I think I may go with the Camera Ribbon as I plan on using the view finder more instead of the flip out monitor.
Jason
 
The ribbon looks like you could utilize the LCD as well. Seems expensive though consider it's a pretty straight forward design. I'm actually in the market for a shoulder mount myself and have never really used one before.

Any tips on what I should be looking for? What do people like/dislike about the ones they have?
 
tylerdlugolecki said:
The ribbon looks like you could utilize the LCD as well. Seems expensive though consider it's a pretty straight forward design. I'm actually in the market for a shoulder mount myself and have never really used one before.

Any tips on what I should be looking for? What do people like/dislike about the ones they have?
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Yes, the CameraRibbon is damn expensive for what you get, that's one reason I'm kind of leaning away from it, one thing that is nice about it is the fact that you can adjust the mount to where the camera is right in front of your face so you don't have to tilt your head and get a sore neck. I will probably go with the cheap Opteka one as I think I'm going the LCD loupe direction like Chris has done and this one is smaller which will keep my arms tucked in more for better stability.
Jason
 
ChrisHarding said:
Hey Jason

Walter here has ordered a Gliders rig from India for his 160...I would expect him to do a comprehensive report on it once it arrives...the Varizoom Multirig is awesome but pretty costly so maybe see what Walter has to say about the $200 one???

Chris
Click to expand...

Hi Chris, I was checking out your LCD loupe mod here http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...AC-130&p=1986104876&highlight=#post1986104876 and after unpacking the new camera and looking through the view finder I think I’m going to go your route and use a loupe of some kind, I’m spoiled by the nice big screen of the XL2 and with the subject matter I’ll be filming the 160’s VFW is way too small. I was wondering what you thought of this unit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HghqjtCvFQo&feature=player_embedded I like the flip up function for quick low shots and this would be perfect. There are a few questions though, would the 3x magnification be way too much and by looking at the size 3” it would need some modification to adapt to this screen…. Also, the weight may be an issue as well.
What are your thoughts?
Jason
 
Hi Jason

Nope 3X is what I'm using on the Hoodmans and it's just perfect!!! The Hoodmans however are a bit crappy quality as it's just a plastic shell and cannot flip up!! However you can slide my one off the LCD pretty easily. I really like the Varavon loupes..they have an awesome build and they flip up too ...you could maybe mount one of these that were made for the Lumix GH2 and modify it to fit under the camera body?? In all circumstances you MUST support the loupe..the LCD hinge will break if you don't plus the weight twists it too!!! I have a simple aluminum strip that fastens in one if the 1/4" screw holes on the 130 handle and I have extended a piece of 1/16" threaded rod from it with a little hook on the end. Currently the hook goes into the "O" ring around the neck of the Hoodman (I think the "O" ring is for a lanyard) and the loupe hangs from that so no pressure at all is put on the LCD screen!!
The loupe is designed for a 3" screen so mine has a foam board box around it that extends it to the 130 LCD ...I come from HMC80's so I'm used to having a loupe/lcd as an EVF and love it!!! It really makes all the difference in the world and I don't even use my EVF as it's just too tiny!!!

Chris
 
CameraRibbon

CameraRibbon

Thanks for looking at the CameraRibbon, Two things, while we designed it to work best with the built in viewfinder of most cameras or with the accessory viewfinder of a DSLR, I've used it with the flip out LCD screen as well and it works perfectly. The cost, while it is simple, it is also the most efficient and sturdiest shoulder support rig on the market. And it is incredibly strong, when you use the CameraRibbon, you'll appreciate that it is well made and finished, easy to pack and doesn't require assembly. Please view our demo/instructional video at cameraribbon.com Any questions, please contact me at the phone number or email shown on the website. I'm a veteran news/doc cameraman and it was designed by me to be as efficient as possible without too much excess equipment (although a wireless receiver attachment is standard). Also we have added a new Rig "QR" with a quick release adapter and plate, so we have three models. If you have a question for sizing for a specific camera, please call.
Russ
ChrisHarding said:
Hi Jason

Nope 3X is what I'm using on the Hoodmans and it's just perfect!!! The Hoodmans however are a bit crappy quality as it's just a plastic shell and cannot flip up!! However you can slide my one off the LCD pretty easily. I really like the Varavon loupes..they have an awesome build and they flip up too ...you could maybe mount one of these that were made for the Lumix GH2 and modify it to fit under the camera body?? In all circumstances you MUST support the loupe..the LCD hinge will break if you don't plus the weight twists it too!!! I have a simple aluminum strip that fastens in one if the 1/4" screw holes on the 130 handle and I have extended a piece of 1/16" threaded rod from it with a little hook on the end. Currently the hook goes into the "O" ring around the neck of the Hoodman (I think the "O" ring is for a lanyard) and the loupe hangs from that so no pressure at all is put on the LCD screen!!
The loupe is designed for a 3" screen so mine has a foam board box around it that extends it to the 130 LCD ...I come from HMC80's so I'm used to having a loupe/lcd as an EVF and love it!!! It really makes all the difference in the world and I don't even use my EVF as it's just too tiny!!!

Chris
Click to expand...
 
ChrisHarding said:
Hi Jason

Nope 3X is what I'm using on the Hoodmans and it's just perfect!!! The Hoodmans however are a bit crappy quality as it's just a plastic shell and cannot flip up!! However you can slide my one off the LCD pretty easily. I really like the Varavon loupes..they have an awesome build and they flip up too ...you could maybe mount one of these that were made for the Lumix GH2 and modify it to fit under the camera body?? In all circumstances you MUST support the loupe..the LCD hinge will break if you don't plus the weight twists it too!!! I have a simple aluminum strip that fastens in one if the 1/4" screw holes on the 130 handle and I have extended a piece of 1/16" threaded rod from it with a little hook on the end. Currently the hook goes into the "O" ring around the neck of the Hoodman (I think the "O" ring is for a lanyard) and the loupe hangs from that so no pressure at all is put on the LCD screen!!
The loupe is designed for a 3" screen so mine has a foam board box around it that extends it to the 130 LCD ...I come from HMC80's so I'm used to having a loupe/lcd as an EVF and love it!!! It really makes all the difference in the world and I don't even use my EVF as it's just too tiny!!!

Chris
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Thanks for the reply Chris, I think I'm going to go with this one http://www.amazon.com/Foldable-View...XMHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339219360&sr=8-1 it sounds like it's pretty good quality and light, but I will probably have to make a new frame to fit the screen.
Jason
 
I will be publishing my findings with the Gliders Grey that I just received a few days ago once I play with it a bit.

Right now, I can say it is very solid, there are no cheap parts.

As Chris pointed out to me, mounting the camera on the side bar allows you to position the camera so that you can use the viewfinder. Not sure right now if it is possible to put the camera far enough ahead to accommodate a loupe at the viewfinder.

The sidebar is 1 foot wide with a small section on the RHS and a larger part of the LHS. You might be able to position a high res 7" monitor on the RHS section of the sidebar.

At first try it the camera seems weightless. I can definitely see the value of an articulating arm to replace the "rubber pin" gadget that comes with the unit for connecting the spring rod to the rig.

The flexi-pin that connects the spring rod to the rig could wear our so if you go this route just order 1-2 extra pins. I will post a picture of me using it later today (its 0415 hrs here right now),.
 
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I'm finally getting around to playing with the camera and after hooking up the Rode NTG-1 (input 2/mic, audio CH1 set to input 2, CH2 set to input 2) the mic is so sensitive it records all sounds, brushing against the mic cable and barely touching the camera at all, coming from the Canon XL2 with a mic that would pick up sounds all around my position but not the handling of the camera. This is alarming as I'm going to be shooting allot of run and gun and this will kill my shots. Sorry this is such a noob question but I just want to make sure everything is the way it's supposed to be, I got the shotgun mic for the purpose of not capturing all sounds around me.
Jason
 
Hi Walter

Like the rig picture...it looks like you can use the rear EVF on your eye so that should make life a little easier for you now!!! A quick writeup on that rig will be very useful to others too!!!


Jason?? You probably have the mic gain set way too much in the menu options... you shouldn't get any transferred noise as the rubber suspension should prevent that. Just make sure that your channels are in manual..they don't work correctly in auto at all!! and set your controls about half way and then try the mic at a channel menu setting of -50db ....My Rode Videomics were strange but not sensitive ..I had to set them to -50db although the mic has a -38db output!!!


Chris
 
Thanks for the quick reply Chris!! I'm pretty sure the gain is still at -50, I left all the factory settings alone so far. Even if I switch both CH1/CH2 gain over to manual and turn down the dials you still hear the feedback from bumping or rubbing against the mic power cable or even touching the lens hood. The only thing that looks out of whack is the male plug area at the back of the mic, one of the 3 prongs sticks out further than the others, it's not loose so I thought that was how it came but maybe there's a short in the system.
Jason
 
Hi Jason

Sounds like the mic has an issue or the front might be touching something on the camera. If it's in the mic clamp correctly it's held in place with the little rubber spikes so it's isolated from the camera. It certainly sounds like there is an issue with the mic not the suspension!! I'm not familar with NG1 at all ...if it needs Phantom power then make sure it's on ..if the mic is self powered it must be off. A mic certainly shouldn't respond like that so I would say it has a fault....!!

Chris
 
I’m using this kit from B&H http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/400812-REG/Rode_NTG_1_Condenser_Shotgun_Microphone.html and I also picked this up as wellhttp://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/573091-REG/Rode_WS6_WS6_Deluxe_Windshield_for.html I do have the windshield shoved all the way up against the shock mount so this might be part of the problem. I’ll try some different configurations and see what happens; I might just try the mic mount that came with the camera as well. I’m just hoping I don’t have to go through the hassle of returning the mic.

Jason
 
Ok, I'm having problems figuring out how to get the Barry Green files from the SD card to the camera, I've gone into the Scene File section then to card read, File 3 FILM LK2 for example and after saving it the original camera files keep showing up and no new ones. What am I doing wrong? Am I even on the right path?
Jason
 
Hi Barry,
I did everything word for word and when I put the card back in the camera and go into the Card Functions section the only two things that come up are the Card Format and Card Status and nothing about the files, I'm feeling pretty stupid at this point.
Jason

*edit*
Never mind I finally figured it out. It's not in the Card Functions section, it's in the "Card Read" area of the Scene File section.
 
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